SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio City Council unanimously approved a revision to the city’s code Thursday morning that will require pet owners to provide shade to pets at all times.
This revision comes after a dog named Molly suffered severe thermal burns as a direct result of not having access to shade.
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Adequate shade can include trees, shrubs or other foliage as well as created shaded areas like patios, canopies, awnings or pop-up umbrellas.
Molly was surrendered to Animal Care Services and was recently adopted after being nurtured back to health.
District 8 Councilman Manny Pelaez was spurred to take action after hearing Molly’s story and thus proposed the code revision.
“Every Summer, ACS receives thousands of animal neglect calls,” said Pelaez.
“These include pets not having adequate access to food, water, and shelter. However, until today, shade was not a requirement. Over the last few weeks, my office worked closely with ACS, and the Animal Defense League to come up with the revision approved today. Adding the definition of shade to our current code bridges a critical gap, and provides ACS officers with the necessary tools to ensure our pets are safe, especially during the hot summer months,” Pelaez said.
Violators of the newly revised ordinance could face penalties up to $2000, according to a press release.
Watch the video below to view other changes made to the animal ordinances code for San Antonio in 2018.